DIRTFT Redux

DIRTFT (dirt foot) - Do It Right The First Time

So this is a follow up on my last post - the one about the woman who had a balky home control system because the original installer tried to save her some money.

I fixed her issues by rearranging her equipment to make the best use of the available resources. Its now working fine but at what cost?

1) My charges to repair it added another 10% to the total cost of the system.
2) Some of the features that were originally promised had to be abandoned.
3) The original installer is despised by both the client and the builder that brought them together.
4) The original installer spent all of his profits in unpaid service trying in vain to make it work.
5) The reputation of the equipment manufacturer and our industry in general suffered.
6) The original installer lost two sources of referrals for new work.

All because of a failed attempt by the installer to 'help' with a low price.

There is a saying that no good deed goes left unpunished and while its a cliche and not always true, it does bring up the risks of putting yourself 'out there' to help someone. Doing good is not without risks but the rewards are great precisely because so few people ever go out of their way to truly try and help. BUT, when you do try to help, you have to do it right.

In the end, its not the price of a product that makes someone happy, its their satisfaction with how it works. Deliver a great product to begin with and then 'put yourself out there' by taking an interest in the client's well being AFTER the sale. If something is not right, make it right - with no questions asked and without charge.

Its so rare that a company (or individual) goes the extra mile after the 'sale' that such care will be remembered far longer than any discount up front.

The moral? Stand by your employers, employees, family and friends even AFTER they have 'paid' you. Your uncommon fortitude will not be soon forgotten...

Be brave enough to do the right thing.

I visited a woman today that has a poorly performing home automation system. She just put it in two months ago and it has never worked right. The music stops playing unexpectedly, the TVs turn off by themselves and who knows what else. The fellow that put it in had been back a dozen times and still couldn’t' fix it. Finally in disgust the client called another dealer (me) to take a look.

Well I found some issues that I will fix next week but the most glaring issue is that the prior dealer didn't design the system with enough power to care for its assigned tasks. Why? Surely he would have made more money if had sold a more powerful system. While I don't know the fellow and it could have been mere incompetence, I suspect that he may have been trying to be budget conscious. If that’s the case, I find his empathy for the client's budget laudable but in the end he did himself, the client (and the builder that brought them together) a disservice as everyone is unhappy. Now, because much of the system has to be rebuilt, it will cost more than a properly designed system would have cost in the first place. (And that’s not even counting everyone’s aggravation and loss of good will).

The moral? Do it right the first time. Stand up for a quality product that will delight your client and preserve your reputation. If the client simply can't afford the quality necessary to create a satisfactory experience - DON'T DO IT.

Selling no product at all is infinitely better for all concerned than selling a bad product.

Cheers,
John

A brief review of the AppleTV and Roku media players.

Its 2012 already! Which one is right for you?

So to follow up on my last post, here are a few specific products that you can use for viewing pictures on your TV that have the added bonus of bringing a wealth of other services (many of them free) in from the Internet.

AppleTV

If you use iTunes to manage the music on your computer and iDevice than using an Apple TV is a great way to get that music to your TV. It’s a small box about the size of a hockey puck that plugs into an HDMI connection on the back of the TV. It can use either a wi-fi or wired network connection to your computer and comes with a small, simple remote control.

Not only will it let you view and select your iTunes music on your TV but it will also find all of the digital pictures on your computer and show those on your TV as well. You can choose to view photos individually or in a slide show and you can do so while listening to music.

The AppleTV also lets you rent or buy movies and television programs from the iTunes store. You can also access YouTube, podcasts and 1000’s of free internet radio stations from all over the world.

Like most Apple products, it is nicely designed, works well and has a slick user interface. They cost around $100.

Pros: Seamless access to your iTunes library. Access to photos on your computer. Nice hardware and user interface design.

Cons: Limited access to online content (you can only rent through the iTunes store). The only video connection is via HDMI which isn’t available on older TVs.

Roku

If you don’t have an extensive iTunes collection, consider one of Roku’s media players. It too is a small hockey puck of a box that connects to your TV with either an HDMI or a composite video connection. Like the AppleTV, the network connection is via wi-fi (the top of the line XS model can accept a wired connection too). It comes with a small remote as well.

Roku doesn’t support iTunes or allow you to access pictures on your computer but it provides access to a very extensive array of online services. It has a ‘channel store’ - much like an app store – where you can choose your services. For example, there are probably a hundred special interest internet TV channels to choose from along with several rental sites like Amazon On Demand and Hulu.

On the photography & video side Roku allows you to access most of the online sharing sites like Picasa, Facebook, Shutterfly, Flikr (Apple supports Flikr too), Vimeo and Ustream.

While the Roku box has a USB port where you can connect a thumb drive containing pictures, you can’t easily access pictures on your computer directly. However, if you aren’t using a photo sharing site like Picasa or Flikr, you should consider it. While it’s always nice to have a backup copy of your pictures on your computer, posting them to a sharing site will make it MUCH easier to share them with friends. Sending a few large pictures through the email becomes a thing of the past as you can now simply email a web link to an entire slideshow. Sharing pictures on Facebook etc. also becomes easier. Sharing sites also let you access your photos from any computer or smart phone when you are away from home – that a BIG plus when visiting friends and family.

So while the Roku box won’t directly access your photos on your PC, it will access your photo sharing site which, once set up, is even better. The Roku costs from $50 to $100 depending on the model.

Pros: Permits access to an unprecedented level of online content. Both digital and analog video connection options.

Cons: Clunky user interface, no support for local photos or iTunes. No YouTube access (but that is rumored to be coming soon).

The Bottom Line: Both of these boxes are cheap, very easy to set up and will profoundly change your TV viewing experience for the better. At this point its almost a no-brainer - GET ONE!

Questions and comments welcome as always...

Cheers,

John

Digital Music & Pictures on Your Living Room TV

Digital music and pictures are great inventions. They are flexible, rich and easy to manage. The trouble is that up until recently they were locked up on your computer and difficult to share in a family room type of setting.

As with any technology, there are several ways of doing what we wish to accomplish. Each has its advantages in terms of simplicity, flexibility and cost.

The important thing is to use quality devices, designed specifically for the task and set up in a way that fits both the family’s needs and their capabilities. If it isn’t simple to use, it won’t get used and that’s a shame given the fun and richness they bring to parties, family gatherings etc.

Below is a run down of some of the options from each group, ranked roughly from the simplest solutions through more sophisticated ones.

Digital Photos – Simple to deluxe:

• Use a cable directly between the digital camera and the TV
• Advantages – Cheap and simple
• Disadvantages – Can only look at the pictures on the camera, not something saved on your computer; TV input connection is often inconveniently located on the back of the TV; you must use the controls on the camera to advance to the next picture.
• Get a TV with a built in memory card reader
• Advantages – You can sit back and use the TVs remote control to kick off a slide show or advance to the next picture; no cables to worry about.
• Disadvantages – Can only look at the pictures on the memory card, not something saved on your computer; the TV likely only takes one style of memory card and it must be compatible with current and future cameras.
• Use a device designed to connect your TV with your computer.
• Advantages – Can look at any pictures stored on your computer; can sit back and use a remote control to work the slide show and advance pictures.
• Disadvantages – Requires some set-up and installation; pictures must be on computer which is inconvenient if guests want to show the pictures on their camera.
• Set up the above device to show the pictures selectively on any TV in the home.
• Advantages – Different family members can use it to show their pictures on the TV of their choice throughout the house; use the remote control for that room to adjust the slide show.
• Disadvantages – Requires more set-up and installation; still can’t be used for guest’s own pictures.

Digital Music – Simple to deluxe:

• Take advantage of the free music channels provided with your cable TV service.
• Advantages – Free; simple to use, just tune to your favorite channel, no commercials.
• Disadvantages – limited program material that tends to repeat itself; no customization or pausing possible
• Get an XM or Serius satellite radio and connect it to your stereo or TV.
• Advantages – much deeper music selection than free services; still largly commercial free; great sound quality.
• Disadvantages – subscription based, requires a clear view of the sky for good antenna reception.
• Get a docking station for your iPod or similar MP3 player.
• Advantages – Allows you and your guests with compatible players to bring their music to the party; you can sit back and use the stereo’s remote control to control the iPod.
• Disadvantages – only plays music on the player, not the larger collection stored on the computer.
• Get a remote controlled device to connect your computer to your stereo or TV.
• Advantages – can play the full library of music residing on the computer; can often pick up Internet radio stations for greater music variety; provides on screen cover art and song info when browsing music collection.
• Disadvantages – requires installation and set-up; isn’t easy to casually play music from players that guests bring to the party.
• Get a device that allows digital music to be played throughout house.
• Advantages – browse cover art and select different songs, playlists etc in different rooms of the house; play the same material throughout the house in a party mode fashion or play different programs in each room individually; select from digital music on the computer, Internet radio or subscription music services; simple remote control from any room.
• Disadvantages – requires a separate dock to used guests iPods; requires installation and set-up

Alpine Home Media can help you with any of the options presented above. Just contact us if you have any questions. Below are some tips on finding and enjoying music

 – cheers !

Music Tips:

Tip#1 – Listen to more music

Many people like music but just don’t seem to find the time to listen to it. Music is a great stress reliever and an ideal background activity. Instead of just leaving the TV on to a random channel while working around the house, try putting on one of the commercial free music channels provided by the Cable TV service. This works especially well at dinner time. Instead of turning the TV completely off during dinner, try one of the lighter music channels or turn on the radio.

Tip #2 – Listen in unusual places

Listening in the kitchen while cooking or eating are obvious but also consider music in the office, formal dining room or out on the deck. Music is ideal as a backdrop to other activities and gives you mind a place to momentarily rest between tasks. Equipment is available that will allow the same or different songs to be played in every room in the house with the touch of a button.

Tip #3 – Explore music

Many of us learned to love music when we were in our teens and then lost interest as we moved on into adulthood. We therefore know certain bands, songs and radio stations and gravitate to them again and again through familiarity. Sadly, this soon becomes tiring and reinforces our current lack of interest in music.

There are a number of tools available today that let you easily find new music that is as close or as far from your current tastes as you wish. Much of it is free and lets you easily note what suits you and what doesn’t so you can better cultivate your interests. Many of these tools are Internet based so they naturally lend themselves to exploration while using a computer. However, virtually any service that is available on a computer can now be set up for use on your home entertainment system. There are many devices that allow you to navigate internet music with a remote control on your TV.

Explore the following web sites. If you find an interest in music reemerge, consider bring your new found interest to your home entertainment system.

·              Pandora.com – build your own personalized radio stations

·              Rhapsody.com – flat rate subscription to a vast library of music

·              Shoutcast.com – Internet music stations from around the world

·              iTunes.com – purchase songs, albums and videos individually

Conclusion

We have covered a lot of different options here. All of these solutions come in a variety of configurations to suit any budget. We hope that you have found this paper to be helpful and informative and if you have any further questions or need any assistance, please don’t hesitate to call us at (845) 398-4582. It would be my pleasure to speak with you.

 Kind regards,

John Vitiello

President - Alpine Home Media Inc.

http://www.alpinehomemedia.com/